By Kyra Allesandrini
Florida A&M UniversityĀ is welcoming a new Rattler to its menāsĀ basketballĀ team. Shaqir OāNeal, the legendary NBA starShaquille OāNeal, will be joining the team next season.
āShaqir has played in one of the premier programs in our conference and for a great head coach,ā FAMU head coach Patrick Crarey II said, according toĀ The Tallahassee Democrat. āHe brings versatility, athleticism, and experience to our team. Iām excited he chose me to help him achieve his goals.ā
Currently, the 21-year-old is a rising junior and completed his first three years of college at Texas Southern University, where he averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in 8.5 minutes. He participated in the 2022 and 2023 SWAC Tournament Championship with the university.
Experts are expecting him to produce good results.
āOne of the new guys that weāre really happy and excited about is Shaqir OāNeal,ā TSU head coach Johnny Jones said, according toĀ HBCU Gameday. āI think people that hadnāt had an opportunity to see his offseason workouts ā I think heās done an awesome job in transitioning in the last two years and weāre looking forward to him making an impact with us and for us as well.ā
The basketball player isnāt the only member of his family to attend FAMU. His aunt, Ayesha Harrison-Jex, graduated with a degree in business administration. She died of cancer in 2019.
OāNealās sisterĀ MeāArahĀ has also been pursuing a collegiate career in basketball. She enrolled at the University of Florida and joined the Gators last November.